U.S. Pat. No. 4,062,999 A describes a process for treating textile fibers with a mixture of an amino functional silane and an epoxy functional silicone. The unreacted mixture is applied to the fiber then heat-treated in an oven.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,359,545 A describes the process of reacting an amino functional silicone and an epoxy functional silicone onto a textile surface. The blend is applied to a textile then heat-treated in an oven.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,384,340 describes the use of a moisture and or photo curable coatings system. The process involves first reacting an epoxy or methacryl functional silane with an excess of an amino functional silicone. The remaining unreacted amino groups are then reacted with an epoxy or isocyano functional vinyl-containing molecule. The resulting material contains both moisture curable alkoxy silane groups and free radical curable vinyl groups.
EP 1,116,813A1 describes a textile treatment composition containing siloxanes having epoxy- and glycol-functionalities and either an aminosilane or a silicone quaternary ammonium compound. The composition is preferably formulated as an aqueous emulsion. The emulsion is applied to the textile surface followed by heat treatment to cure the mixture.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,102,930 A describes silicone-based fabric finishing agent that is suitable for finishing a fabric material containing keratinous fibers, e.g., wool. The fabric finishing agent is an aqueous emulsion of a hydroxy-containing organopolysiloxane with an admixture of a mixture of colloidal silica and a reaction product of an amino-functional alkoxy silane or a hydrolysis product thereof with an acid anhydride, an epoxy-functional alkoxy silane compound and a curing catalyst.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,475,568 B1 describes the synthesis of non crosslinkable silicone polyether non-(AB)n materials that do not contain silane or reactive groups. Modified silicones can exhibit a variety of physical properties. The polymers can be modified to be hydrophilic, lipophilic and hydrophobic depending on the nature of the organic substituents. Recently, linear alternating copolymers and linear random copolymers have been made using alkyl or polyether, and polydimethylsiloxane units. These materials have shown utility in a variety of applications including personal care (hair conditioners, skin care and color cosmetics), textile treatments, hard surface modifiers, agricultural adjuncts, and the like. Unfortunately these materials are liquids and show limited durability when applied to a surface especially when wet. That is, non-woven textiles treated with the materials described in the art above not only show limited durability but also do not provide good wet strength to the textiles to which it is applied. The subject matter of the present invention overcomes these shortcomings and provides non-woven textiles having enhanced wet-strength and is further described in the sections below.